Perseverant and reliable—the qualities most inherent in the Chinese zodiac for 2009, the year of the Ox. Had the broadcast industry not had a bit of the Ox, very little may have been left of it for the year of the Tiger.

A new administration arrived in January. The DTV transition, scheduled for February, was pushed back to June so more people could prepare. The fed spent $1.4 billion on a subsidy program to equip old analog TVs with digital reception.

Julius Genachowski was just then taking the reins of the FCC with a charge of developing nationwide, wireless broadband. The radio frequencies that the public and broadcasters had just invested billions in for DTV became a takeover target for the wireless industry and its powerful lobbies in Washington, D.C.
Twenty-two weeks after the DTV transition, the FCC commenced the process of relieving the broadcast industry of spectrum.

Meanwhile, the television broadcast industry had its worst year on record.

January: The 10 Pappas TV stations were sold out of bankruptcy in January. Broadcasters in 22 markets commit to launch mobile DTV during the year.

November: Half of U.S. homes have HDTV screens. California limits the energy they can use. Broadcasters sue music licensor SESAC. Pressure mounts to reallocate broadcast spectrum for broadband.

December: Comcast buys NBC Universal. The FCC opens up an inquiry into the best use of broadcast spectrum. Mobile media advertising is projected to generate $3.48 billion in 2010. No stations have launched mobile DTV commercially.

The FAA’s current rules and proposed ban on flight over people, requirement of visual line of sight and restriction on nighttime flying, effectively prohibit broadcasters from using UAS for newsgathering. ~ WMUR-TV General Manager Jeff Bartlett